


The last dwarf standing

by Silva_13



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Epidemics, Erebor was reclaimed years ago, Illnesses, M/M, Sick Fíli, Sick Kíli, Sickfic, because he is not a dwarf, except bilbo, in a way everyone is sick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-29
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-03-11 06:08:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13518159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silva_13/pseuds/Silva_13
Summary: This is a fill for the FiKI WinterFRE2018, prompt Nr. 94: "I'm sssso cccold."





	The last dwarf standing

**Author's Note:**

> This is unbeta'd, so all mistakes are mine.
> 
> Huge thanks to [Chelidona](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Hobbity/pseuds/Chelidona) for encouraging me with this story and helping out with a line, although it was very early in the morning. :-*

The floors and staircases of Erebor were quiet, too quiet, when Kili dragged his tired form towards the main gate, ready to fall asleep at every moment.

The night had been as straining and sleepless as the ones before with Fili’s fever and cough still really bad, keeping both of them awake. Of course, Kili had - at least technically - retired to his own, mostly unused, bedroom in their shared chambers when it had become clear that his brother had caught the disease, which was raging through the mountain for three weeks now. But he was tending to him nonetheless, changing the wet cloth on his forehead, bringing him tea and holding him comfortingly in his arms when another bout of shivers overwhelmed him. He knew Fili would do the same for him and he would rather take a hundred orc arrows than let his One suffer alone through the night.

Although Stone fever, the dwarvish equivalent to the human flu, was not dangerous itself, it was not a walk in the sunshine either. Especially the fact that it was highly contagious and it took long for a dwarf to come through it made it very inconvenient. In particular when the entire kingdom was down with it, leaving only the king’s and the heir’s consorts back in charge along with a handful of dwarves, who either hadn’t caught the illness yet or had already recovered from it. The good thing was that, once healed, a dwarf could not catch it a second time within the next few years.

With Thorin and Fili sick in bed it was by dwarvish rights the king’s consort who was in charge of the kingdom. But given that said consort was not a dwarf but a hobbit, even though highly appreciated amongst their people, Bilbo and Kili had decided it would be better to pass the temporarily rulership to the heir’s consort, Kili, who was from the line of Durin anyway.

_“Only the sons of Durin shall be on this throne,”_ Thorin had often reminded them. 

With that, Kili had been confronted with the difficult task to add running an entire kingdom to his usual duties, although the illness itself helped a little, for audiences and court were not set for that time. But it had been a lot of work nonetheless. The negotiations with the Woodland Realm, which had been going on for weeks now, admitted no delay. Thranduil had driven a hard bargain, hoping for an easy game with the king’s youngest nephew. But he hadn’t taken Kili’s stubbornness - and his fear of Thorin being mad at him - into account. The prince had parleyed even harder and in the end he had brokered excellent conditions for Erebor, which should even satisfy his demanding uncle. 

The council meetings were the worst, although most of the members were ill. Except Balin and Dori, who unfortunately were in bed too, they were old, pigheaded, greedy dwarves who thought they could manipulate the young prince as long as their rigorous king was indisposed. Far from it! Kili had been raised no less as a prince than his brother and Thorin had done a good job with that. Furthermore, Thorin had always insisted that Bilbo was at least member of the council, which helped Kili a lot, for the hobbit was sharp-witted and uninhibited by anything. Together they managed to lead the remaining council members and kept them at bay when their propositions got too much out of hand.

In addition to the other negotiations with Dale, Ered Luin and the Iron Hills along with Kili’s regular duties as head of the guard it had been very strenuous weeks. Every day he had to reallocate the guards at the gates and watchpoints, struggling to find a way to leave no post unoccupied with the diminished number of dwarves he had on hand. On some days he had to undertake some hours at the gate himself to guarantee complete manning. 

And so in the end, it was no wonder when Kili awoke one morning - eventually - with a thumping headache, a stuffed-up nose and a sore throat. He just had entered his own bed a few hours ago, feeling tired but at least healthy, after his brother had finally succumbed to sleep. Now his knees felt wobbly when he entered Fili’s bedroom again, just to find him still fast asleep. Perfect, the rest would do him good.

The cold and rainy weather which greeted him at the main gate, where he had to work the morning shift, didn’t help with the slight shivers, which ran through his body.

To his surprise Dwalin had returned. Having been sick too, he still looked pale and haggard, but smiled nonetheless.

“Laddie, I can’t believe you. Did you really run this guard with less than 20 dwarves left to man the posts? That’s truly impressive!”

Kili only shrugged, not wanting to give away his ailing condition, but Dwalin was not to be fooled.

“It looks like you belong rather to bed than on watch. I can cover your shift, go back to your chambers.”

“Dwalin, there are so few of us that I’m still needed here. And in a few hours this stupid council is meeting again.”

Even rolling his eyes hurt and his voice was hoarse and congested.

“I’ll be fine,” he added, only to earn a head-shaking from his friend.

“If you say so. But let me tell you that Stone Fever is not to be played with.”

Kili didn’t answer, but turned to the side and coughed violently as if to emphasize Dwalin’s words, then he straightened his back and remained on his post for the rest of his shift.

~~~

He was freezing when he finally arrived at the council room. His limbs were aching and his nose had started to run, already red and swollen from the overuse of the handkerchiefs he had stuffed into his pockets this morning. He knew he gave a miserable sight when he looked into the faces of the other council members, but he held his head up high when he walked towards his seat, teeth gritted and shoulders drawn back.

“My prince, you look unwell. It seems you’ve caught the Fever after all. Wouldn’t it be better if you returned to your chambers? Leave us in charge of everything.”

The rest of the council nodded, all except Bilbo, who was the only one who looked deeply worried. 

Kili’s voice sounded even more congested now and he could only croak when he answered. 

“Only the sons of Durin shall be on this throne. I will not leave the mountain in your charge just because of a little cold.”

His composure, despite the poor state he obviously was in, showed strength and self-confidence and it was clear to everyone that he would not tolerate any contradiction.

The worried expression on Bilbo’s face gave way to sheer appreciation and he nodded satisfied. _This_ was a true prince of Durin’s line. 

Nonetheless, when a break was announced he quickly went to the infirmary, bringing back a bottle with a horribly smelling brew, which he handed to Kili.

“What’s that?”

“Don’t you recognize the smell?”

Kili sniffled loudly, wiped his nose on a handkerchief and shook his head.

“I can’t smell a thing.”

“Sorry, I forgot. It’s willow bark tea. Do you think I can’t see you shivering all the time or don’t hear your chattering teeth? Kili, you are burning up, and that fast. You really belong to bed.”

“I can’t afford to be sick now! There’s no-one else left to rule. I just have to endure a few more days until Thorin’s feeling better.”

“You don’t have those few days, you can barely hold yourself upright and it’s going to get worse, you know that!”

Yes, Kili knew that. By this evening he would scarcely be able to move at all out of sheer pain. Even holding a spoon or mug would be impossible due to the bone-deep weakness, let alone walking around. He was about to be stricken with fever and bed-ridden for at least two weeks and recovery would only progress slowly after that. That was how Stone Fever worked.

“Actually, there’s nothing scheduled for the next few days. No meetings, no negotiations, no audiences, no court. Dwalin will cover for you at the gate and Thorin’s doing a little better actually. So you _can_ afford to be sick.”

“If we were under attack tomorrow morning there would be no-one to lead the army. There must always be…”

“… a son of Durin. _I know!_ ” Bilbo slowly lost his patience and couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Cursed be the stubbornness of the dwarves! 

“If there was an orc army coming around the corner, the army will be led by a son of Fundin….”

He silenced Kili with a single look when the prince tried to backtalk again.

“And if there’s a dragon attacking I will immediately call for you so you can sneeze right in its face and scare it away!”

Kili had to admit that Bilbo had a point and as he felt worse with every minute he finally gave in. 

“Alright, you win. But let us finish this stupid meeting first.

~~~

On his way back to his chambers Kili had to stop quite often to cough or sneeze violently. His gait was slowed down because of his weakness and the pain in his limbs. When he arrived at their room he checked on his brother first. Since he didn't want Fili to worry, he did his best to hide his condition, but even with a high fever the blond was not to be fooled.

"Kee, my love, you look awful. Are you coming down with the sickness, too?" 

The crown prince could barely lift his head from the pillow, but tried to sit up nonetheless. Where his baby brother and One was concerned, Fili knew no limits.

Kili shook his head, regretting it immediately as the dull pain increased right away.

"No, I'm fine. Just a little tired." 

"Kee, I can see you shiver, you're wheezing and your nose is red and running. Come on, don’t be a fool." 

"No, really. It's just ... I'm fine ... I …" 

A wet sneeze interrupted his poor attempt in finding an excuse and another two followed. Then, all of a sudden, a wave of dizziness hit him and he couldn't pretend any more. He quickly sat down by Fili’s side, holding his head. The space in the bed next to his brother looked so tempting, warm and comfortable that he eventually admitted defeat. His shoulders slumped and he wrapped his arms around his upper body. The unmistakable chattering of his teeth made speaking difficult. 

"Mmahhhal Fffili … I'm ssso cccold.”

“You need a hot bath. I’ll help you.”

“You cccan nnnot even ssit up.”

A crooked smile appeared on Fili’s face.

“Neither can you.”

~~~

Somehow, both brothers dragged themselves towards their bathroom, supporting each other. Fili decided to join Kili in the bath and together they also made it back to the main room without further incident. The brunet stopped at his door.

“I should probably sleep in my own room. Otherwise I’ll keep you awake the entire night.”

But Fili was having none of it.

“I kept you awake for …what … ten nights now?”

“Eleven,” Kili answered sheepishly.

“See? Don’t you dare thinking I will let you suffer on your own. And besides, since we are down with the same sickness, there’s no use in sleeping in separate bedrooms. I may not be able to take such good care of you like you did for me, but at least I can hold you through the worst and give you comfort if need be. We’ll go through this together.”

Fili’s eyes, though shiny with fever, showed so much love and affection that Kili’s heart melted and he forgot for one moment that he and his brother were seriously ill. He took his clammy hand in his own and led him in Fili’s - or rather their shared - bedroom.

“You’re right. We’ve spent far too little time together during the last days anyway.”

~~~

As Kili had suspected earlier, he felt downright terrible in the evening, exhausted to the bone with all the symptoms a Stone Fever usually came with. When Bilbo brought them some broth, Fili, although being worn out himself, had to spoon-feed his younger brother. The hobbit made sure they had everything they needed, including a week’s stock of handkerchiefs, enough water and more willow bark tea to help with fever and pain. He placed a wet cloth on each dwarf’s forehead and bid them good night.  
In the dim light of a small candle they snuggled against each other, shivering, sweating, coughing and sneezing. But in the end, they were together and that was all that mattered.

~~~

The next time Kili woke up, he felt even worse. His mind was foggy and he had difficulties to orientate himself. He could feel how the cloth on his forehead was replaced with a fresh one. When he slowly blinked his burning eyes open, a process which drained all his energy, his sight was blurry and the room seemed to swim in front of him. He didn’t think he had ever felt so very bad, even with suffering from Stone Fever.

The dark haired dwarf, who sat on the edge of his bed, looked a little peaky and had also lost weight, but he was still an impressive appearance. 

“Tho … rin?”

His throat hurt terribly and his voice was hardly audible, plus he was sweating, in pain and awfully weak. Next to him Fili rested propped up with his upper body against the head board, looking slightly better.

“Ssshh, Kee. It’s better not to speak. Mahal, you frightened me.”

At this the younger prince could only frown, not understanding what he had done. 

“Us!“ his uncle added, his eyes soft while he brought a cup of water to his nephew’s chapped lips. 

“Kili, you are gravely ill. You were unresponsive for two days, only moaning in pain. The fever was dangerously high and still is. You couldn’t keep anything down and were constantly coughing. Even Oin said he has never seen such a bad case of Stone Fever. We feared for your life.”

The brunet, an incredulous look on his face, slowly turned his head to his brother, whose puffy eyes he only noticed now. 

“Kee, my love …,” he whispered, wiping a tear from his cheek with one hand while stroking Kili’s head with the other one.

Kili closed his eyes again, but leaned into the touch. He didn’t have the heart to tell Fili that even those soft touches hurt his skin. Had he really been out for so long? Well, that at least explained why his uncle was able to be with them and why Fili seemed to have recovered a little. But why had he been so badly hit by the illness?

Thorin, sensing the question in the room, explained, “After learning from Bilbo how you’ve outdone yourself in our absence we could only guess that you were already worn out and running on empty before you caught the disease. So you were completely overwhelmed. Mahal, the entire mountain calls you ‘the last dwarf standing’.”

“But … I …”

“Ssshh, no Kili. You’ve done really well. I went through the arrangements you’ve made and they are outstanding. I don’t even want to know how you achieved those conditions with Thranduil.”

A weak smile appeared on Kili’s pale face and he mustered all his strength to speak, but failed miserably. In the meanwhile Bilbo had entered the room, carrying another bottle from the infirmary.

“He generously offered to send dwarvish woodcutters to log and pick up the brokered wood since Thranduil didn’t want to include delivery in the cost. He looked quite alarmed when he finally agreed on consignment without extra charge.” 

That had Thorin and Fili laughing, although the latter succumbed to a coughing fit immediately. 

“But Kee, did you tell him that there is no such a thing as woodcutters amongst dwarves?” Fili asked after catching his breath again, only to laugh – and cough – again when Kili shook his head no. 

“Only you possess enough sass to take advantage of Thranduil's greatest fears, having dwarves in his kingdom again,” Thorin chuckled.

And with a soft voice and a fond smile he said, "You proved that you are a true king, Kili. I’m very proud of you. But please promise you’ll never put ruling in front of your health again. You’re just too precious to me. Both of you.”

Kili felt his chest swell with pride at Thorin’s words, for the king only rarely had such praise for them. The appreciative smile on Fili's face only intensified the feeling.

The King Under the Mountain eventually rose up.

“Well, I have to leave for now. I need to see what that council of greedy dotards is up to. We probably should do something about that as soon as we are all up and about again.”

“I shall join you in a few day’s time, uncle.”

Under the surface of responsibility Fili seemed a little reluctant. But Thorin was having none of it anyway.

“Fili, I appreciate your sense of duty, but I think right now your place is here. You belong with your brother.” 

Fili tried to hide his relief while he lay down and took Kili in his arms, who curled up against him. When they were alone he chuckled.

“ ‘The last dwarf standing’, that really suits you well. Not even a conceited elvenking or an entire dwarvish council can bring you to back down.”

Kili was busy sneezing into a handkerchief then answered faintly, “But a sickness can.”

“It took us all down. Look, at least we were ordered by the king himself to spend the next days together in bed. If that isn’t a good thing.”

The statement did the trick and Kili, despite still feeling awful, smiled when he pressed himself closer to his brother’s side. As Fili had stated two days prior, they would go through this together, side by side. And so, huddled up to each other, the both of them were overcome by a deep sleep that gave them the opportunity to take their first steps towards recovery.

**Author's Note:**

> Come and say hi on my [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/silva-13) :D


End file.
